Team Aviano celebrates Law Day

  • Published
  • 31st Fighter Wing Staff judge Advocate
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  Team Aviano celebrated Law Day May 16 with a mock trial and public viewing of law-related movies.

The annual observance, organized by the American Bar Association, focused on the theme "The Legacy of John Adams: from Boston to Guantanamo."

 "The purpose is to have us examine and celebrate our commitment to the rule of law," said 1st Lt. Joseph Weismantel, 31st Fighter Wing assistant Staff Judge Advocate. "This year's theme highlights our nation's first lawyer-president John Adams, along with the contemporary role of lawyers in defending the principle of due process and the rights of the accused."

John Adams was renowned for his devotion to equal treatment before the law. In 1770, then a young leader in the American colonial resistance to British rule, he defended the British officer and soldiers charged with firing into a crowd of protestors and killing five civilians in the "Boston Massacre." President Adams defended the soldiers, despite the risks to his safety and his livelihood. He did so because of his faith in the law and his belief in the right to a fair trial no matter how unpopular the cause. He later recounted his representation of the British soldiers as "One of the best pieces of service I ever rendered my country" by avoiding a "stain upon this country."

"Law Day is important because it reminds Americans about the important role legal professionals play in creating a fair and just legal system," said Lieutenant Weismantel.

As part of the celebration, the Aviano Air Base Community Center showed "To Kill a Mocking Bird," "The Client" and "A Few Good Men."

Meanwhile, the mock trial was the culmination of a semester's worth of hard work and preparation by the Aviano High School Street Law class. The class consisted of 12 high school students who were given a fictional scenario involving the alleged theft of an expensive school computer. The students needed to master the relevant law on theft, the facts as gleaned from witnesses, and the methods of arguing a case in court. After that, they had to learn how to effectively and persuasively argue their assigned side of the case, either the prosecution or defense, to convince the jury to rule in their favor.

On the day of the mock trial, the students conducted the trial in the legal office's courtroom with Maj. Aubrey Davis, 31st FW deputy Staff Judge Advocate, presiding as judge and a high school history class serving as the jury.

"Preparing for trial is never an easy task for a lawyer," Lieutenant Weismantel said. "Without any previous legal training, the students had to learn rather quickly how the law works in addition to effective trial advocacy. We at the Aviano Legal Office and the Aviano Area Defense Counsel Office volunteered to help instruct the students based on our experience with the law and in the courtroom. We found the students to be very receptive and eager to apply our suggestions as they showed vast improvement over the course of the semester."

According to the lieutenant, the mock trial was important because it showed the students directly how the law works and is applied in practice.

The students learned and applied the valuable skills of analysis, critical thinking, teamwork, and public speaking, which they can apply in any field of study or work.

"We were highly impressed with the quality of lawyering from these high school students," Lieutenant Weismantel said. "Some even looked like seasoned attorneys. It is our hope that the students will have a new appreciation for how the law works and perhaps pursue a legal career in the future. We at the Aviano Legal Office also thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to work with the students and hope to continue doing so in the coming years."